A recent Associated Press report about a woman stranded in the wilderness with a broken leg for four days highlights a gross lack of survival knowledge, and you don’t even have to go past the article’s headline to see the glaring mistake. It reads:
“HIKER SURVIVES 4 DAYS IN UTAH DESERT WITHOUT FOOD”
Without food? Really?
We’ve got a newsflash for the AP: Anyone can go four days without food. You could do it right now, no problem. Sure you may feel the pangs of hunger and your willpower will get a nice test, but you’ll be fine.
Human beings can live three weeks or more without any food, yet the article implies the woman stayed alive because her prayers to God were answered. Again, no miracle in going four days without food.
What’s worse, the reporter doesn’t even mention a more pressing survival need: water.
Without water to drink you can die in as little as three days, especially in the drying heat of a desert. If there is any miracle in this story it’s that the woman was lucky enough to be stranded next to a flowing creek in the middle of such an arid landscape. And that’s the primary reason she’s alive.
So the next time you find yourself fleeing zombies and getting dangerously low on supplies, remember that water will always be a more vital and immediate concern than food.
If you’re well hydrated you can stay alert and healthy for many days, but if you run out of water you’ll be dead in just a few.